Daily Democracy

Ryan Blethen discusses the press, media and democracy. Daily Democracy is part of the Democracy Papers, a series of articles, essays and editorial opinion examining threats to our freedoms of speech and the press.

Free Press released an analysis today of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal to do away with the cross-ownership ban. A quick reading of the analysis, which can be found here, confirms many of the positions The Seattle Times editorial page has taken on the proposal. Those positions can be found here, here, and here.

The Free Press analysis brings to light how Martin's plan will be exploited by media conglomerates to extend their reach by junking the cross-ownership ban. Martin is clearly hoping that by only focusing on cross-ownership the other commissioners and Congress will let his changes stand. This study strengthens the argument that Martin's proposal needs to be rejected.